Therapeutic electrode



Slept. 8, 1953 I w. J. BRowNER 2, 51,304

THERAHUTIC ELEcTRoDE Filed Oct. 19. 1950 1 i f I l 1 l 1-11.11',

IN VEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 8, 1953 THERAPEUTIC ELECTRODE William J. Browner, San Francisco, Calif., as-

signor to Relaxacizor-Thermatone, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application October 19, 1950, Serial No. 191,040

(Cl. 12S-417) 2 Claims.

My invention relates in general to pads or electrodes by which electrical therapy devices are connected with the skin surfaces of a patient to be treated, and the invention relates in particular to an applicator of simple and novel form vhaving as a part thereof an electrode member an electrode member once used may be immedi ately discarded and replaced by a new one.

It is a, further object of the invention to provide a contact means for electrical therapy having a pad of brous material, such as felt, and a holder of flexible material, the holder and the pad being so related that the pad is securely held in the holder, is capable of being quickly removed and replaced, and is protected in such a manner that there is a minimum evaporation of moisture from the pad during the giving of a treatment so that even distribution of current to the contacted skin area is assured.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple applicator for electrical therapy devices having an electrode element which may be made from a porous material, and a holder for this electrode element having an inwardly faced peripheral recess to receive the edge portion of the electrode element and cover the same so that the evaporation of moisture from the peripheral portion of the electrode element as the result of exposure of the same to the open air will be avoided.

A further object of the invention is to provide for the electrode element a holder having an inwardly faced lip characterized by softness so that a, hard edge or rib will not be pressed into the skin of the patient to whom the applicator is applied. In the preferred form of the invention this result is accomplished by making the lip of a soft rubbery substance and tapering this lip off to a feather or knife edge which will not be forcibly pressed into the skin of the patient.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification wherein I have described a preferred form of the invention in detail for 2 the purpose of complete disclosure, without limiting the scope of the invention set forth inthe appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the pads of my invention may be used.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view to enlarged scale taken on a median plane of one of the pads shown in Fig. 1. V

Fig. 3. is a perspective view of the electrode element forming a part of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the electrical connector.

In Fig. 1 I show applicators II held in place against the bodily part I2 by means of encircling straps I3, such as rubber ribbons. Electrical terminals I4 on the applicators II are connected by conductors I5 with an instrument adapted to deliver a therapeutic current such as contractile or galvanic current. The conductors I5 form two sides of a circuit which is completed by the bodily tissues between the applicators II.

Each applicator II comprises an electrode member I6 which is shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which electrode member I6 is adapted to make electrical contact with the skin of the patient when the applicator is placed as shown in Fig. 1. This electrode member I6 is characterized by electrical conductivity so that the current flow will be distributed across the entire surface of the skin contacted by the member I6. The electrode member shown is of such porosity that it will hold an electrolyte such as water having a small salt content, and may be made from a fibrous material such as felt which will readily absorb the electrolyte.

The electrode member I6 is held in the holder I'I shown in cross section in Fig. 2. This holder I'I is characterized by its ability to hold the member I6 extensively against the surface of the skin and also keep it protected in such a manner that there will be a minimum of evaporation of the electrolyte from the electrode member I6. In this way one of the difficulties in the use of wet electrodes is overcome. The drying out of a portion of the electrode, particularly the peripheral portion thereof, will reduce the effective area of contact of the electrode with the skin surface. To prevent this drying out of the electrode member I6, the holder I'I has a wall which folds inwardly around the edge of the electrode member I6 so as to cover the same. A fur-ther feature of the invention is that this wall which covers the edge of the electrode member I6 is so formed that it will not make a harsh or painful contact with the skin of the patient.

Accordingly, the holder I1, which may be made in one piece, has a wall I8 of relatively thin exible rubbery material such as natural or synthetic rubber compound or a plastic having similar characteristics. Around the periphery of the wall I8 there is a downturned wall or strip I9, and from the lower portion of this strip I9 there is inturned a lip 20 which is spaced from and approximately parallel to the peripheral portion of the wall I8.

The space between the lip 20 ,and the peripheral portion of the wall I8 has a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the peripheral portion 2l of the electrode ,member I6, ,and the electrode member I6 fits into the iiat cavity 22 defined by the holder I1. 01T to a fine flexible edge 23 and therefore does not present a hard abrupt shoulder to the patients skin.

When the lip 20 makes contact with the patients skin, the electrode member I6 is completely enclosed, and if any moisture is to be lost ,from the electrode member I6 it must be through the skin of the patient. This does not ordinarily occur, however, for the reason that there is generally a -flow of moisture from the skin surface in the form of perspiration. In the ordinary use of Athe applicator, the surface of the electrode mem` ber is lat least as moist as the interior of the electrode member. Also, since the entire surface 24 of the Velectrode member is kept moist, there vis an even distribution of the current to the area 'I8 of the holder I1 and providesa loop or tubular portion to which vthe conductor I5 may be at- The lip 20 is thinned 4 tached in the customary manner. The terminal plate 28 is held in place Within the holder I'I by reason of the outer portion of the terminal con hector being larger than the opening 30.

I claim as my invention:

l. In an electrical applicator of the character described, the combination of: an electrode member at least a portion of which is formed of porous material to hold an electrolyte for engagement with a skin area; a holder of iiexible material comprising a back wall adapted to extend across the rear portion of said electrode member and' a marginal portion integral with said back Wall .extending .outwardly and extending forwardly around the periphery of said electrode member, said marginal portion then extending inwardly so as to form an inwardly extending lip covering the marginal portion of said electrode member, said back wall having a small opening therein; and a contact member comprising a metal .plate to lie against said back wall, a post extending from said plate through said opening to the outer face of said back wall, the outer end of said post being larger in cross section lthan said opening so that force is required to move it through said opening, and means at the outer `end of said post for engagement with an electrical conductor.

2. A device as deiined in claim 1 wherein said post has a loop at the outer end providing an opening to receive the `connector tip of an electrical conductor.

WILLIAM `J BROWNEVR.

915,335 France July 22, 1946 

